Simple Pleasures.....

I read, on the Green Parent magazine forum, about somebody reclaiming Sundays. They were doing it in the way of going "off-grid" that day i.e. not using electricity etc. I didn't quite fancy that, but I did fancy the idea of reclaiming Sundays. As a family day, a fun day, a rest day, a leisure day. Not a shopping day, or a cleaning day, or a lay on the sofa watching tv and then realise it's 12 o'clock and you've done nothing day.
And so, this Sunday, we -
Went to church (more specifically the Salvation Army). This is where I used to go from being a toddler until I was about 17/18, and where I was pretty much brought up. I left for many different reasons, but I knew this was a place my children would be welcomed and somewhere they could belong, but where I wouldn't get pressured, so when Adam asked to go to church, this is where I decided we should go. And it was just as I thought it would be, relaxed, informal, friendly, and welcoming. We stayed for a bit afterwards, Jessica was surprisingly happy to run around in a room full of strangers without even knowing where I was so that is how relaxed the atmosphere was, and she was even more relaxed enough to pull a load of pool cues on to her head to renew the permanent bump which had just been about to fade:

Moving on briefly (I shall rewind in a moment), her face today is actually covered in scratches and bruises, because she decided to come back in the front door just as her poor Nana was coming out, resulting in Nana falling over the top of Jessica, throwing herself sideways to avoid falling on top of her, and cutting her own head on the drive edging :( Both Nana and Jessica are fine, but went back inside for a sit down and a cup of tea before recommencing their journey.
Anyway, so, back to reclaiming Sundays. So, we had a lovely time and I was really proud to be told by somebody how lovely my children were and how good and how they had adapted so easily to the new environment :) So we are going back again on Sunday, think it will be good for Adam's confidence, as they were pleased as punch with his reading too.
We came home, put Jessica to bed, and me and Adam made ourselves some lunch:

Was lovely to relax and spend time chatting with him. Then I said I would get all the new outdoor toys out for him. At which point, I realised I had stupidly bought all inflatables, so was sat for the next 30 minutes blowing them all up and was then completely shattered! But then Jessica woke up, and it was lovely to see them playing together outside.

I sat on the back step with a cuppa and gave them a blueberry muffin each, and it felt good. Just to lead a normal everyday life, feels good.
So then I made tea, with a little help from Jessica, and there was way too much so I portioned some off to freeze for another time. Only to be told by Adam, that "If you fed this recipe to Piranha Plants, they would probably die". So, not a success then. Hmm, luckily Jessica liked it, so that's Tuesday night teas sorted for the next few weeks........
We then came inside, as they were getting cold (and Jessica kept running in and hiding behind the curtains, so I figured she wanted to come inside), and played on the Wii. We played Pictureka, which Adam is surprisingly good at, and Jessica giggled every time the Mr Potato Head shouted "PicturEKA!" So we redesigned him with a Cowboy costume for added giggles. This led to a big cushion fight between the three of us, which then, for some random reason known only to herself, led to Jessica sitting on the side of the sofa and demanding that we all sing "Wind the Bobbin Up". Ten times over.

There we go, the ceiling. Thus leading to me walking to work on Monday with that song stuck in my head.

So, all in all, it was a totally perfect weekend. And can I pinpoint one particular moment that made it perfect? Not really. It was just the overall package, just the taking time for me on Saturday, and the reclaiming of our Sundays. Reclaiming Sundays will mean different things to different people. For us, it meant relaxing, spending time together, being at peace with each other, and finding somewhere new to belong. If you do only one thing this year, reclaiming Sundays is probably the best thing to do. Since this Sunday, I have had a really good week, been at peace and happy and organised and relaxed and motivated. And, I've even cleaned the house :)
This is now going to have a random cut short ending, as I have a coughing toddler on my knee who is rather unhappy and would like cuddles with mummy. Night all xx.